1
as in skinny
having a noticeably small amount of body fat
the svelte dancer seemed to float across the stage
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in sophisticated
having or showing very polished and worldly manners
the interior designer spoke in a low, svelte voice
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of svelte
A number of homoerotic pictures of svelte, young nude men have a vaguely predatory air.
—
Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025
As someone who ebikes regularly, and carries a weighty charger in my backpack for emergencies, this system holds great appeal – though the Tiler kickstand is a sizeable beast that probably wouldn't gel well with the svelte aesthetic of my folding commuter.
—New Atlas, 20 July 2025
Squeezing stuff in to a svelte device like this will be tough — and may be why there’s only one rear camera expected on it as sensors and lenses take up space internally as well as outside.
—David Phelan, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
The camera bump on the back, which arguably spoils the svelte form, houses a 50-megapixel main shooter, a 64-MP periscope telephoto lens capable of 3x optical zoom, and a 50-MP ultrawide.
—Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for svelte
Chris Wiley, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025
As someone who ebikes regularly, and carries a weighty charger in my backpack for emergencies, this system holds great appeal – though the Tiler kickstand is a sizeable beast that probably wouldn't gel well with the svelte aesthetic of my folding commuter.
—New Atlas, 20 July 2025
Squeezing stuff in to a svelte device like this will be tough — and may be why there’s only one rear camera expected on it as sensors and lenses take up space internally as well as outside.
—David Phelan, Forbes.com, 19 July 2025
The camera bump on the back, which arguably spoils the svelte form, houses a 50-megapixel main shooter, a 64-MP periscope telephoto lens capable of 3x optical zoom, and a 50-MP ultrawide.
—Julian Chokkattu, Wired News, 12 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for svelte
Recent Examples of Synonyms for svelte
Adjective
-
This isn’t about fat or skinny, this is about being healthy.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Aug. 2025
-
The split-screen of Air Force 1 and Russia’s executive plane landing at a remote airport in Alaska, and then the two protagonists walking down a skinny red carpet like the end of a buddy movie.—
Richard Stengel,
Time,
16 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Nearly three decades later, Daft Punk arguably upped the ante with its sophisticated synthesizer opus for the franchise’s second film, 2010’s Tron: Legacy, which peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200.—
Joe Lynch,
Billboard,
15 Aug. 2025
-
In addition to his famous perpetual calendar, Klaus also developed split-second, world time, depth gauge, and other sophisticated mechanisms culminating in the Il Destriero Scafusia in 1993, then the world’s most complicated wristwatch.—
Oren Hartov,
Robb Report,
15 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Istanbul pulses with history—its skyline crowned with slender minarets, grand domes, and bustling bazaars filled with copperware, carpets, and the scent of roasted chestnuts.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Ware brought along a friend, a slender man introduced as Catfish who had his own land management problems.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
10 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Only the graceful styling and the classic neon sign gives any indication the motel was built in 1953.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
14 Aug. 2025
-
Her community fastly feels the sharp absence of her graceful, essential labor and employs matriarch Ana (María Magdalena Sanizo) to coax her back home.—
Holly Jones,
Variety,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
The water pressure then causes the vehicle to rise and slide on a thin layer of water between the tires and the road, making the driver lose control.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Aug. 2025
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Details on the election process are thin, but many citizens could be casting their votes in an active conflict zone or under the eyes of armed soldiers – a terrifying prospect that some say could lead to more violence.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
17 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Approximation of the smooth, unblinking surface of polished stone or metal.—
Emily Witt,
New Yorker,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Not in massive ways, but the cards got smoother, no longer the paper-feel cardboard of years past.—
Curtis Silver,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
There aren’t many actors, after all, who can convincingly play both sad-sack real estate salesman Shelly Levene in a Broadway production of Glengarry Glen Ross and a lean, mean killing machine.—
Frank Scheck,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Aug. 2025
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Flank, round, or brisket: These lean cuts are flavorful but can become chewy without tenderizing.—
Katie Rosenhouse,
Southern Living,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The prodigious musician played cascading melodies on the keyboard and dropped a saxophone solo in between working the stage and the crowd with his suave dance moves.—
Althea Legaspi,
Rolling Stone,
3 Aug. 2025
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In Norman Jewison's original 1968 version of the film, Faye Dunaway portrayed an investigator attempting to link the suave millionaire Thomas Crown (Steve McQueen) to a major bank robbery, only to become romantically involved with the suspect.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
19 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Svelte.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/svelte. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.
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